Chesterton’s building permit fees will be rising in the new year, as the town looks for ways to address financial challenges posed by the state legislature’s changes to property tax law. The Town Council unanimously approved the new rates Monday. Associate Town Attorney Charles Parkinson said th at the new fee schedule should take effect in 90 days, which allows for the proper legal notification about the increase. Town Engineer Mark O’Dell had noted that Chesterton charged significantly lower building fees compared to surrounding communities. Clerk-Treasurer Courtney Udvare told the council in October that the town needed to consider finding new revenue sources because of the loss of property tax funds, due to reforms enacted by Senate Enrolled Act 1. For a new home construction, the fee will increase to 32 cents a square foot from 22 cents per square foot. That means Chesterton will charge for a 2,625 square foot house $2,116.32, compared to $1,114,72 in fees under the current schedule. Some of the other increases include the commercial new construction costs increasing from 27 cents to 40 cents per square foot. Residential remodeling permits will rise from 15 cents to 25 cents per square foot. In other business, the council heard a report from Sustainability Commission President Emily Bretl about the commission’s first year. The commission was created by the council in March and had its first meeting in May. The commission has six members, and eventually will have seven. Bretl said the commission conducted a survey in the community and drafted a vision statement, based upon its findings. The vision statement settled on by the commission is: A safe, healthy and thriving Chesterton where environmental stewardship, community involvement, and innovative planning safeguard natural, human and financial resources for the benefit of current and future generations. Some of the major survey themes included the desire for green space preservation, where smart, connected and community-driven development is preferred. Bretl said another major survey point was the desire for Chesterton to protect its small town identity while modernizing responsibly. The commission, during the past year, conducted two fall beach cleanup events at the Indiana Dunes State Park. Bretl said there were 20 participants each time. There were 5,000 pounds of compost materials collected in Chesterton as part of a Porter County-wide project. Next year, the commission plans to apply for the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) Clean Community Program designation. Council agreed that it will support the commission in a statewide movement to change the state flower to the Butterfly Milkweed from the Peony. The town of Porter recently agreed to a similar resolution proposed by its Environmental Sustainability Commission. “People in this town are very much interested in the environment,” said Councilman James Ton, R-1st. Ton said that the town has had a Tree City designation for years, and a citizen effort led to the town being designated a Bird Town USA. The Town Council also decided that Councilwoman Erin Collins, D-2nd, would serve as the council president for the new year with Councilman Dane Lafata, D-3rd, as vice president. Jim Woods is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune. ...read more read less